Salome by Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz and Rayvanny emerged the most watched music video in Kenya while Rihanna and Drake’s Work song and Bado by Diamond Platnumz and Harmonize took the second and third slots respectively.

Local boy band Sauti Sol and Tanzania singer Alikiba’s Unconditionally Bae music video was the fourth most watched in the year.

Other songs featured in the top 10 category include Work from Home by American rapper Ty Dolla Sign and Fifth Harmony girl group, This is What You Came For by Scottish record producer and singer Calvin Harris, Kwetu by Tanzania’s Rayvanny, Cheap Thrills by Australian singer Sia and Jamaican rapper Sean Paul, Pillow Talk by English songwriter and singer Zayn and Ain’t Your Mama by American songstress Jenniffer Lopez.

YouTube is a video sharing platform by Tech-giant Google. YouTube Rewind reflects on videos that captured the attention of Kenyans from January to December.

The most watched videos this year on YouTube Rewind were by ordinary people, unlike in 2015 where popular clips were mainly those that were first aired on local TV stations.

It emerged that the most watched YouTube video by Kenyans was that of students from Bishop Gatimu Ngandu Girls High School dancing to Bamba Mbaya song by the Kelele Takatifu gospel group.

Tanzania’s Mume Kaenda Kazini, Wife Kaleta Mchepuko Nyumbani video about a cheating wife and local rapper CMB Prezzo’s drama during a TV interview emerged as the second and third most watched videos in Kenya, respectively.

Other clips that featured in the most watched videos locally include Nigeria’s I’ll Beat You compiled by Mark Angel Comedy, Jicho Pevu’s investigative story on Jacob Juma’s murder, Mc King Kong’s Dancing Sekemba and Awilo Longomba, Upper Hill School choir Kuliko Jana rendition, The Wedding of the Year dance by a Kenyan bride, Eric Omondi’s video on how to be Diamond Platnumz and Chechemua Akiri Anampenda Rais Kenya Hadharani, a funny compilation of news items.

Safaricom-backed taxi hailing app Little Ride has introduced a base fare of Sh100, barely two weeks after slashing its prices by a third.

The latest fee is currently effective in addition to the recently announced charges. Fares are also rounded up to the nearest 10.

Little Ride now charges Sh30 per kilometre down from Sh55 per kilometre in Nairobi and Mombasa.

During the announcement of the new rates two weeks ago, the firm left time charges unchanged at Sh4 per minute with no flat base charge or price surges like its main competitor, Uber.

“We have just matched the price of Uber and other players. Most of the providers are between Sh35 and Sh40 plus a base fare. So we just adjusted the price to what the market has set,” said Kamal Budhabhatti, founder Craft Silicon, the IT firm that developed Little Ride app.

He added that the number of trips by drivers enlisted on the taxi-hailing app has gone up by almost four-fold.

Little Ride launched in Nairobi in July and presently records about 3,500 journeys daily from its pool of about 1,600 active drivers. It is also ranked the second largest e-hailing app in Kenya.

American giant Uber remains Little Ride’s main rival locally. In July, Uber cut fares in Nairobi by a third, reducing the app’s per kilometre cost to Sh35 from Sh60, and lowered per-minute transit chargers to Sh3 from Sh4, but left the base charge intact at Sh100.

Little Ride’s entry in Mombasa in October saw Uber slash its prices a week later to position its services as the cheapest in the coastal region.

Uber reduced price per kilometre from Sh50 to Sh35, charges per minute from Sh5 to Sh3. Base fare was set at Sh50 from Sh80 while cancellation fee — effective after five minutes — was set at Sh150.

The committee, chaired by Lillian Omondi, resolved that the seven leaders had publicly sided with parties that Wiper had no association with and should be considered to have resigned from the party that took them to Parliament.

Dr Mutua was found culpable of supporting Maendeleo Chap Chap, a party he launched in September, and the committee charged that he should be considered to have resigned from Wiper, which is led by Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka.

“The DC (Disciplinary Committee) finds that his conduct expressly and constructively amounts to publicly advocating for the formation of another political party and promoting the interests, ideologies and policies of Maendeleo Chap Chap which is not a member of the Cord,” the committee said.

“The Disciplinary Committee recommends that the member be deemed to have resigned from WDMK in terms of section 14(5) of the Political Parties Act,” they ruled.

NO SHOW

The MPs were similarly found guilty as charged for appearing to support the Jubilee Party, which they had previously claimed to have joined.

While Dr Mutua did not formally quit Wiper, he launched Maendeleo Chap Chap, which the governor calls a “movement” for change.

When the committee invited them to defend themselves, the MPs did not show up.

The decision to throw out the six lawmakers follows that of Cord coalition partner ODM, which last week expelled 10 elected leaders considered “rebels”.

They include Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya and Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba, who was the party’s secretary-general.

]]>http://www.jambonewspot.com/governor-mutua-kicked-out-of-wiper-party/feed/0Nairobi to be run by a Cabinet Secretary, new Bill proposeshttp://www.jambonewspot.com/nairobi-to-be-run-by-a-cabinet-secretary-new-bill-proposes/
http://www.jambonewspot.com/nairobi-to-be-run-by-a-cabinet-secretary-new-bill-proposes/#respondThu, 08 Dec 2016 17:51:22 +0000http://www.jambonewspot.com/?p=56116

NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 8 – Nairobi could soon be run by a Cabinet Secretary appointed by the President if a constitutional amendment sponsored by Muranga Senator Kembi Gitura becomes law.

Gitura, who is also the Senate Deputy Speaker wants to amend the Constitution to reduce the devolved units to 46 by scrapping the capital city from the territory of the county government and place it under the control of the central government.

The proposal if successful will put Nairobi in the same league as Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai which are province-level under the direct-control while, all other municipalities were governed by the greater administrative areas.

“There shall be a National Capital City known as Nairobi, which shall be the seat of the national government” reads the Bill introduction.

Under the Bill, the Cabinet Secretary who will nominated by the President and approved by the National Assembly shall exercise powers and perform functions as assigned to that of the office by the President.

Gitura’s proposal may require a referendum because it touches on structure of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in as far as representation of the people is concerned.

Article Six of the Constitution indicates that the territory of Kenya is divided into the counties specified in the First Schedule. The Schedule outlines the 47 Counties by name as presently.

“The is alive to the power of the people and their right to be represented. As such, this right will continue to be fulfilled through the election of representatives to the National Assembly,” the Bill states.

The development is being put up at a cost of 4.3 billion in Machakos county with the centre piece being a 200,000 square feet mal. l on with a total of 200,000 Square Feet of letting floor space, and a residential area consisting of 3 and 4 bedroom townhouses, plus a cluster of 3 bedroom apartments.

Crystal Rivers will also have residential houses consisting of 3 and 4 bedroom townhouses, plus a cluster of 3 bedroom apartments.

Safaricom Staff Pension Scheme Board of Trustees Chairman Joseph Ogutu said that Crystal Rivers Mall is now expected to be ready for occupation and open for business in mid- 2017 with about 30 per cent occupation already booked.

“Today, we see many of Nairobi city residents, including many of my colleagues, moving to the peripheral of the city in search of the perfect living space for our families. We have seen tremendous population growth in Syokimau, Athi River, Kitengela and even Embakasi. More industries and businesses continue to come up here in line with our growing economy, most notably, the Standard Gauge Railway station. As the population of these regions continues to grow, and as our children grow, there will be demand for sustainable living, recreational and working spaces,” explained Ogutu.

The townhouses and apartments are set to be complete by 2018 with already 10 per cent occupancy.

Apartments will retail at Sh8 million while the townhouses will retail from Sh14 million.

The mall will accommodate at least 1000 vehicles while introducing SMART CITY installations for integrated internet and WIFI Internet access.

In total, the mall provides for the largest single parking area in the County with 700 spaces on both the lower ground and upper ground floors.

In addition to Crystal Rivers, the Safaricom Staff Pension Scheme is also investing in Mandharini, an award-winning luxury development in Kilifi County

-capitalfm.co.ke

]]>http://www.jambonewspot.com/photos-safaricoms-sh4-3billion-machakos-real-estate-project-to-open-in-6-months/feed/0The story of a Kenyan man in US who languished in immigration detention for 9 yearshttp://www.jambonewspot.com/the-story-of-a-kenyan-man-in-us-who-languished-in-immigration-detention-for-9-years/
http://www.jambonewspot.com/the-story-of-a-kenyan-man-in-us-who-languished-in-immigration-detention-for-9-years/#respondThu, 08 Dec 2016 17:32:56 +0000http://www.jambonewspot.com/?p=56106

Sylvester Owino spent nine years locked in immigration detention before he was released on bond last year.

The Kenyan-born Owino was finally able to win a bond hearing before an immigration judge as a result of a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The suit was first heard in federal court in the Central District of California, where a judge ruled in 2014 that noncitizens in immigration detention are entitled to a hearing at least every six months to argue for their release.

That ruling was affirmed in 2015 by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court also held that immigrants like Owino must be released unless the government can prove that they are a danger to public safety or a flight risk.

Now the case has made its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments Wednesday.
Owino recalled the night he was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, dropped off on a street corner in downtown San Diego, where he lived before and after his incarceration.

“I was glad I was free,” he said. “The air was fresh.”

While Owino waited for friends to pick him up, he says he veered from ecstasy to paranoia.

“Oh my God, I’m free,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

When Owino’s friends asked what he wanted to eat, he replied, “Some real meat!”

So his friends cooked up pork chops.

“We stayed up all night talking, calling friends, family from Europe, from Kenya, eating the pork chops,” says Owino “I can’t express how I felt. I cannot, after all those years.”

Owino left Kenya in 1998 and came to the United States on a student visa. Years later, after Owino had become a permanent legal resident, he was convicted of armed robbery. He calls it a “mistake” he made when he was struggling with alcohol addiction.

That crime landed Owino in state prison for three years. He says serving that time was hard, but not as hard as what followed.

Legal resident immigrants who commit certain crimes are subject to mandatory detention and deportation under federal law. So when Owino was released from state prison in 2006, he was handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be detained until he could be deported. But Owino challenged his removal order, setting off a years-long legal struggle.

Extensive Use of Detention

He said conditions in ICE detention were far worse than prison.

“They think because you’re a noncitizen you have no rights. They can lock you down anytime they want,” Owino said.

The United States detains more than 400,000 immigrants a year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. And 30,000 to 40,000 people are held in ICE custody on any given day. The government deports most of them within months, but others are locked up for a year or more — sometimes many years. They include longtime legal immigrants as well as those seeking asylum.

It took the ACLU’s legal victory to secure Owino’s release and that of other long-term ICE detainees in California and other western states.

“We don’t live in a country where the government — especially the executive branch — can simply detain people because it says so,” says Cecillia Wang, who directs the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.

Wang says the government’s indefinite detention defies legal norms around detaining people for a civil purpose — in this case, to make sure the person applying for legal status shows up for an immigration hearing. She believes the Constitution requires giving the person a hearing at which to argue for release.

“You get your day in court to tell an independent adjudicator, ‘I shouldn’t be in jail,’ ” said Wang. “‘I’m not a flight risk; I don’t pose a danger to anybody. I should be able to fight my case while I’m home with my family.’”

The Obama administration appealed the case to the Supreme Court after it challenged the ruling in the 9th Circuit last year and lost.

Administration officials hope the high court will uphold ICE’s ability to detain people indefinitely.

The ACLU estimates that as many as 8,000 immigrants nationally have been detained longer than six months without an opportunity for a bond hearing. Most are lawful permanent residents who committed minor crimes, like drug possession, or they are people apprehended at the border who are seeking asylum.

Fighting ‘Wholesale Revision’ of Detention System

U.S. Solicitor General Ian Heath Gershengorn did not respond to KQED’s request for an interview, and ICE declined to comment on the case.

But in court papers, Gershengorn called the ACLU’s efforts an end run around Congress and the executive branch:

“Unsatisfied with the current immigration detention system established by the political branches, respondents seek a dramatic and wholesale revision of that system through court order,” he wrote.

Gershengorn said Congress was clear in its intent.

“Some may believe that the Ninth Circuit’s vision of immigration detention is wiser or more humane, while others would disagree,” he wrote. “But Congress weighed the interests in controlling the border, protecting the public from criminal aliens, affording individual aliens adequate protections and opportunities for relief and review, and minimizing the adverse foreign-relations impact of U.S. immigration law.”

Professor Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration law expert at Cornell, called the case a test of the due process rights of noncitizens.

“This is an important case because it pits the constitutional rights of immigrants versus the government’s power to detain individuals,” said Yale-Loehr.

He added: “As immigration procedures have increased in complexity, and in length of time and in importance — in terms of our national dialogue — this case will be very interesting to watch.”

Professor Mary Fan with the University of Washington School of Law says the Supreme Court justices must decide whether the law supports the power of Congress and the executive branch to hold immigrants — or whether the 9th Circuit was right to impose some limits.

“Immigration detention is very tough and very controversial — and there’s been long-standing concern among many — including judges — that it’s harsh and that it sweeps up too many people.”

Fan, a former federal prosecutor for the district that includes the San Diego border region, says the government is in a difficult position — tasked with upholding laws on mandatory detention while also grappling with a huge influx of people.

“The administration faced the difficult decision to have to expand immigration detention to deal with the huge inflow of people, including, very controversially, family detention,” she said.

‘Surge’ of Asylum Seekers Continues

A spike in immigration began in 2014, driven by tens of thousands of Central American children and families fleeing violence in their home countries. Many of them are seeking asylum but remain in detention while awaiting their day in court.

In a Nov. 10 statement, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson wrote that 46,195 individuals were apprehended on the U.S.-Mexico border in October, up from 37,048 in August.

“I have told our border security and immigration enforcement personnel that we must keep pace with this increase,” he wrote.

As a result, ICE detention facilities were holding 10,000 more people than usual this month.

Johnson has authorized ICE to acquire more detention space to be able to process and deport people faster.

“Those who attempt to enter our country without authorization should know that, consistent with our laws and values, we must and will send you back,” he wrote.

The ACLU’s Cecillia Wang says increasing investment in immigrant detention is a waste of taxpayer money and comes at too great a human cost.

“The majority of our clients prevail in their cases at the end of the day, and the government’s assertions to the contrary — that people are dangerous, that we’re going to have a border security problem — are completely unsubstantiated.”

Adjusting to Freedom

When Sylvester Owino finally got his bond hearing in 2015, the immigration judge decided it was safe to release him. Community groups raised his $1,500 bond in just 30 minutes.

Owino still faces deportation, but while he waits for his day in court he’s supporting himself selling Kenyan soul food at farmers markets — dishes like coconut rice and chicken stew. He has also gotten sober.

He hopes the U.S. government will give more immigrants a chance to be free from detention while they go through immigration courts.

“We immigrants, we are also human,” he said. “We breathe the same air. We inhale, exhale.”

Owino said he’s still adjusting to freedom. After years on thin mattresses on narrow frames, he struggles to sleep in a normal bed. Often he dreams he’s still locked up.

A street boy on a begging mission in Thika town was reduced to tears and sobs after meeting with a terminally ill woman who relies on oxygen cylinders for survival.

The emotional John Thuo could not believe his eyes and eventually donated his proceeds of the day, Sh100, as his contribution to a funds drive to help Ms Gladys Kamende undergo a lung reconstruction surgery.

Ms Kamende was seated on the front passenger seat of a vehicle and was being driven around the streets of the town to ask for money to raise the Sh7 million needed for the surgery.

SPEECHLESS AND OVERWHELMED

So, the young street boy approached her window, as he had done innumerable times, to ask for ‘kitu kidogo‘, but when she lowered the window, he was left speechless and got overwhelmed by emotions on seeing Ms Kamende’s state.

His encounters in the tough streets of Thika, it seems, had not numbed his good conscience.

Amid the tears, sobs and a running nose, he gave out Sh100 to Ms Kamende.

“I was in a car in Thika together with friends trying to create awareness on my condition, to get well-wishers to help me with the amount of money needed for my surgery. And that is when the boy came to our car asking for money,” Ms Kamende told Nairobi News in a phone interview.

“He then saw me and started getting emotional, sympathizing with my condition. He cried a lot and proceeded to give me the money he had been able to collect from his begging which was sh100, so that I can go to hospital and get better.”

UNTHINKABLE

The encounter was about to get more emotional after the street boy did the unthinkable.

He threw away the bottle of glue he was sniffing and refused to be separated from Ms Kamende. He further asked Ms Kamende to take him with her to her house so he can help her with house chores.

Ms Kamande has been through a lot in her struggle to remain alive, but never had she experienced the cocktail of emotions she felt at that moment.

She took the street boy under her wing and guided him to a children’s home in Thika -but with strict instructions that she would come back for him when she is well again.